


Winter Break is For Sleeping And Movies

by wheremylizardsat



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, I don't know how college works so bear with me, I'll probably change the title later, Light Angst, M/M, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nightmares, Poor Nico, Sharing a Room, They both can't sleep, Will can't cook, Winter Break, omg they were roomates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21686515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheremylizardsat/pseuds/wheremylizardsat
Summary: Will and his roomate spend the winter break together. Shenanigans ensue.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing something that isn't Haikyuu?  
> I've been working on this for a while and haven't posted it because I was waiting to finish it but then I decided to make it multiple chapters so I can post a little bit at a time.

It was 6:30 AM, and Will enthusiastically yanked the curtains open.  
“C’mon Nico, it’s winter break, the one time we’re free from the burdens of school! Wake up!”

Nico groaned and rolled over.  
“Would you shut up? I need my beauty sleep.” How did he get stuck with Will as a roommate, of all people? 

Will sank into the desk chair, pouting. “What, so you’re just gonna sleep all day? Whatever happened to carpe diem?”

Nico pulled the covers over his head.  
“Carpe your own diem, I’m going back to bed.”

Well. So much for making the most of winter break, Will thought. And he had been so excited to spend more time with Nico. Will pulled on his coat and left the building. He decided to take a leisurely winter stroll around campus. 

It was much colder than he expected and Will shivered. He waved as Piper and Annabeth walked past him, talking. His toes were already beginning to freeze. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. He thought about going back, then decided against it. There was nothing to do back in the dorm, with Nico sleeping. At least out here, he could find things to do until Nico woke up.

He sat on a bench and watched people walk past. After a while, a guy he had never seen before walked up to him. 

“Hey, you’re Will, right?” 

Did Will know this guy? “Uh, yeah, I’m Will.”

“Good. Well, I’m having a party tonight at 8 to kick off winter break, and I wanted to invite you. Dorm #551. Your roommate can come too. That’s all. See you later!”

A cold gust of wind stung Will’s cheeks as the dude walked away. A party? Who was that guy? A party! Perfect!  
What a wonderful way to start winter break, Will thought as he walked back to the dorm.  
Now he just had to convince Nico to come with him. 

***

When Nico woke up, Will wasn’t there.  
He must’ve gone out to do something worthwhile, Nico thought. Gross. 

He stretched, being careful not to hit his head on the top bunk. The door clicked and Will walked in, shivering, his hair dusted with snow. 

Will smiled at him as he hung his coat over the back of the desk chair. 

“I see you’re awake. It’s terrible outside, in case you wanted to know.”  
He sat down in the chair, spinning.  
“Some kid is having a party tonight, and we’re invited.”

Nico scoffed. “Do you honestly think I’m going to go?”  
“Will you?” Will smiled, pleading with his eyes. “Please, for me?”

Nico turned away, his face flushing pink. He couldn’t say no when Will asked him like that, but he really hated parties. 

Will walked over and sat on the end of Nico’s bed.  
“C’mon Nico, it’ll be fun, and if it’s not, I promise we can leave.”

Nico sighed. “Oh well, if it really means that much to you, I’ll go. But only for a couple hours.”

Will beamed. “Thank you!”

Nico yawned and looked at the time. 8:30 AM. He decided to go back to sleep for another few hours, since there was nothing else to do. He curled back up under the covers and promptly fell asleep.

***

In the three hours that Nico was asleep, Will took a shower, responded to some emails, and stared out the window, spinning in the desk chair. 

When Nico finally, finally woke up, Will sprang from the chair.

“It’s lunchtime! Let’s go out!”

Nico looked out the window.  
“Really? Didn’t you say it was ugly outside?”

“Um, yeah, but don’t you wanna get lunch?” 

Nico got up and opened the cupboard.  
“We have food here. Let’s see…”  
He pulled out a bag of sugar, half a container of spaghetti, olive oil, and an assortment of candy.  
Will looked at him. “Well, that sounds like a lovely lunch.”

“Oh, shut up.”  
Nico put on his coat and boots and together they left the dorm room to go find lunch. 

They ended up eating at a little cafe, mostly because it was nice and warm in there. 

“Man, I wish I had brought gloves,” Will said, blowing into his hands. Nico brought his mug up to his face and inhaled slowly. 

They ate their lunch quietly and returned to the dorm.

On the way, a bus drove through a puddle of slush, and they got drenched. 

In the dorm, Will lay his clothes over the radiator and Nico did the same. Nico then crawled back into his bed.

“Going to sleep again?” asked Will. 

“What else is there to do?” Nico replied. 

“I dunno, maybe talk to me for once?” Will climbed onto the top bunk and lay down.

Why does he want me to talk to him? Nico thought. I’m not interesting to talk to at all.  
“Uh…”

“Never mind,” said Will, blushing. It was a stupid idea. Nico just wanted to rest. He tucked his knees to his chest and tried to fall asleep.

***

Will woke up with a start and checked his watch. 7:30 pm. Whoa. He really slept all day.  
He climbed down the bunk bed to get dressed. 

Nico woke up and yawned. “The party’s in thirty minutes,” he said. 

“I know,” said Will. “Do you wanna eat something then go or just go?”

“We should just go,” said Nico, getting dressed too. “I’m sure there’ll be food.”

Will put on his shoes and opened the door. Nico followed him to the elevator. Will exhaled loudly.  
“Just so you know, I have no idea who the guy throwing this party is. He just randomly invited me.”

The elevator door opened and they stepped inside. Will pressed the 5 button and the doors closed.

“Well, don’t expect me to know anyone there either. I don’t exactly put myself out there,” Nico said.  
Will laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s just an hour. That’s not even that long.”

They got off the elevator and knocked on door 551. A guy opened the door and let them in. they were early, but they weren’t the first ones there. Plenty of other people were dancing and talking, spread around the dorm.  
Will turned to Nico. “I’m gonna go socialize and meet some people here. I’m assuming you’re not coming?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “No way in Hell. I'll just stay over here.”

Will walked away to talk to a group of girls over near the TV. Nico leaned against the wall and watched his roommate blend into the crowd. 

He made it look so easy, fitting in. Strangers invited him to parties, people actually talked to him.  
How interesting that must be, Nico thought.  
He pulled out his phone. 57 minutes left.

***

The girls were nice, but not too interesting.  
All they talked about was petty gossip, so Will left to find another group, but there was no one intriguing to talk to.  
It was just a party for all the popular people to gossip and fool around.

Will sighed. He went to find Nico in the corner. Nico smirked. 

“No one to talk to here? How unfortunate.”

Will sank down onto the floor. Nico sat too.

After a couple of minutes, Will finally spoke up.  
“Hey, would you rather lose all your old memories or never be able to make new ones?”

Nico’s brow furrowed. “Well, I’d rather lose my old memories. I couldn’t live every day not remembering anything new. That would really affect your life.”

Will shrugged. “I would too, but it’d be sad to lose my old memories. Still, I know this sounds weird, but I have high expectations for my future memories.”

He blushed and leaned closer to Nico.  
Nico’s cheeks reddened. “What… what do you mean?”

“Oh, I’m just assuming I’ll make good memories in the future, you know? Why?”

Nico turned and pressed his face into his fist, avoiding Will’s gaze. “Never mind.”

“Nico, this is boring. Do you wanna leave now?” said Will, standing up. 

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Really? Are you sure you’re not tricking me? It hasn’t been an hour yet.”

“Yeah, but I’m not having fun, and I doubt you are either. We can leave if you want.”

Nico jumped up. “Hell yes!”

They made their way across the dorm and left quickly. 

Back in their dorm, Nico climbed into bed and Will turned out the lights.

“Bit early for bed, no? We are in college.” 

“Got a problem?” grumbled Nico from beneath the covers.

“Not complaining, just observing,” said Will, climbing onto the top bunk. “Goodnight, Nico.”

“G’night.”


	2. Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Will clean their dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awkward awkward everything is awkward in this chapter

It was 2 AM. 

“Nico?” whispered Will. “Are you awake?”

The dorm was eerily quiet in the middle of the night. The silence was setting Will’s teeth on edge.   
Nico groaned. “No, I’m asleep. What do you want?”

“Nothing, I just can’t sleep.”

“Well, neither can I, but I’d like to try, mind you.”

Will sighed. “Sorry for bothering you.”

Nico instantly felt a pang of guilt. He remembered when he was younger, how his mother and sister had helped him get to sleep when he couldn’t. Maybe he had been a bit harsh.  
“Uh… sorry. You can keep talking if you want.”

Will shifted in bed. “I don’t have anything to say, I just… I guess it’s comforting to know that you’re awake too. That I’m not alone.”

Nico blushed in the dark.

“That’s all,” Will said. “You can try to sleep now.”  
He rolled over and closed his eyes. “Thanks.” 

Nico pulled the covers over his head, and despite himself, smiled into the darkness.

***

Nico woke up to a pair of bright eyes staring at him. Will was repeatedly prodding him with the end of a spatula. It was 4 AM. 

“What the hell are you doing and why are you awake?” 

Will smiled sheepishly and blushed. “I couldn’t sleep so I was trying to be productive.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “You didn’t have to wake me up, though, did you?”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted some company. You can go back to bed if you want.”  
Will walked over to the desk chair and began spinning.

Nico cleared his throat. “Um, you should go to sleep too. You haven’t slept all night.”

Will kept spinning. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Sweet dreams.”

Nico frowned but reluctantly crawled back under the covers once more.

At 9:30, he woke up, stomach growling.

Since Will had failed at making pancakes, the two of them returned to the cafe from the day before for breakfast.

It was a slightly warmer day than the one before, but still too cold to do anything, according to Nico.

It was Will who came up with the idea of organizing their dorm room. Nico was less than thrilled, but went along with it to make Will happy. 

When they got back to the dorm, Will made a list of the things they needed to organize.

“Alright, first we need to find somewhere to store all of these clothes of yours.”  
He picked up a dirty shirt off the floor. 

Nico sank onto the bottom bunk. “Why can’t they be stored on the floor?”

“Nico. No.” Will ordered him to make a pile of clothes on the bed and sort them into shirts, pants, and other.   
Nico obeyed reluctantly and began picking clothes up off every corner of the room’s floor. 

Will hummed to himself, pacing and clicking his pen. He scribbled something down and went to the bathroom cupboard. 

When Nico went into the bathroom to grab a stray T-shirt, everything from the cupboard was laid out carefully across the counter.

“Nico. What can we throw out from these?” 

Nico looked at the bottles, then grabbed three and tossed them. “I stopped taking these a while ago. You can get rid of the empty cold medicine and Advil, and whatever else we don’t need.”

He resumed the boring task of sorting through his clothes as Will sorted through the rest of the medicine and pill bottles.

Then they both vacuumed behind the bed, dusted, and replaced their bedding. 

By the time all the tasks were completed, it was 2 pm and both boys were exhausted. 

Will picked up two packets of instant ramen from their neighbours and they ate on their beds.

Will chuckled. “And here I thought it wasn’t going to be a productive day.”

“And you were wrong, as usual,” replied Nico.

“As usual?” Will laughed again.

Nico smiled mischievously. Will sighed and leaned back on his arms.

“You got any other plans for today?”

“When have I ever had plans? I’m probably just gonna take a nap.”

“Not to be rude, but is that all you do? You slept all day yesterday.”

Will climbed down from the top bunk and sat on the floor facing Nico’s bed. 

Nico shifted. “I’m still tired, especially from all the cleaning you forced me to do. So yes, I’m going to sleep.” 

Will sighed and pulled out his phone as Nico curled up under the covers and immediately passed out.

***

When Nico woke up, Will was sleeping beside his bed with his phone face down on his face. Nico laughed to himself and bent down to gently pick Will’s phone up. He checked the time. 6:11 PM.

Then Nico noticed Will’s lock screen.

It was the picture of them that Piper had taken a while ago, at the end of their first week as roommates.  
Will had his arm around Nico’s shoulders and had thrown up a peace sign. Nico looked less than happy, as usual, but his cheeks were slightly pink. 

Nico flushed. Will had a picture of them as his lock screen?

He set Will’s phone on the desk and went to the bathroom. He splashed his face with cold water then went to the kitchen to try and scrounge up something for dinner.  
He heard a soft yawn behind him.

“Good evening,” Nico said. Will came up behind him and rested his chin on Nico’s shoulder.

“Already? What are you doing?”

“Trying to find food for dinner,” Nico said, trying to calm his beating heart. 

Will stretched and went to the bathroom. Nico exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath.

He grabbed the half-empty packet of spaghetti and set a pot of water to boil.

Will came out of the bathroom. “Need some help?”

“No, I just need to boil some water and then cook the pasta. It’s not that hard.”

“Okay, good. I was just offering to be nice; I can’t cook.”

Nico turned around and smirked. “You once made toast without burning down the entire building. I was surprised.”

Will swatted him in the arm. He went and sat cross-legged on the floor beside Nico’s bed. 

“So, I think I’ve done enough sleeping for the rest of my life. You wanna do something tonight?” 

Nico jumped up on the counter. “I dunno, what can we do?” 

“Well, most activities would have to involve other people.” 

Nico groaned.

“Or we could just take a walk somewhere.”

“The second option is preferable,” said Nico. 

“Okay.” 

Nico poured the pasta into the boiling water. “It’ll be approximately another eight minutes until it’s ready.”

This is really awkward, thought Nico. He took two bowls from the cupboard. “Will, where are the forks?”

Will stood up and started rummaging through the kitchen drawers. He found two forks and handed them to Nico. Nico noticed that his fingers lingered for a moment before letting go. He turned away to hide his blush and turned the stove off. He put the pasta into the bowls and handed one to Will.

They sat on the floor and ate quietly.

After a while, Nico couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Hey Will, can I ask you something? He asked quietly.

“Of course, Nico. You don’t need to ask.”

Nico bit his lip. “You have other friends, right? Wouldn’t you rather hang out with them?”

Will hugged his knees to his chest and looked at his feet. “No, actually, I wouldn’t. Listen, I really like you, Nico. You’re one of my best friends, and my roommate. I’m kind of offended.”

Nico gasped. “Oh my gods, I’m sorry I asked, I just… Sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

Will laughed. “I’m joking. Honestly, Nico, I would rather be with you.”  
He blushed slightly, then cleared his throat. “Okay, are we going out or not? ‘Cause we’d better be leaving soon.”

Nico nodded. He and Will dropped their bowls in the sink.

After Will claimed he’d do the dishes later, they put on their coats and left the dorm to go for a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'll have the next chapter up soon. 
> 
> Tell me if I made typos or grammar mistakes and I'll fix them


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> please don't be like Will and take your prescription meds everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me like an hour to do all the research for this chapter so enjoy I guess

It was icy cold and Nico tugged his coat collar around his neck.

“Damn, Will, it’s freezing out here. Who’s idea was this anyway?”

“Yours.” 

Nico swore. Will chuckled. The two of them continued walking through campus, not seeing many people. It was already pretty dark and large clouds hung in the sky. Will looked up.

“I think it’s going to snow.” 

“Hooray,” said Nico sarcastically. He and Will had stopped walking and his toes were getting cold. 

“C’mon Nico, you need to learn to appreciate the little things in life. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like snow.”

“Well, now you have. Check that off the list.” 

Will hit him. “I thought this was going to be fun, but obviously you had to ruin it. Rude.”

Nico shivered, unamused. He kind of wanted to go back to his warm, comforting bed, but he didn’t want to make Will upset. 

“Let’s keep walking then, if you want to,” Nico said with a sigh.

Will grinned. He grabbed Nico’s hand and took off running, pulling the other boy behind him.

“Ack, Will, slow down!” Nico struggled to keep up. His mind was already racing and so was his heart. Will was holding his hand. 

When they stopped running, Nico was very out of breath. He bent down and tried to suck air into his lungs. Will had a worried look on his face.

“Oh my gods, Nico, are you okay? Damn, we shouldn’t have ran. Do you have asthma or something? We’ve been roommates for this long and I don’t even know whether or not you have asthma oh my gods I’m such a bad friend-” 

Nico stood up and coughed. “Will, I’m fine. I don’t have asthma, I’m just not in very good shape.”

Will sighed, relieved. “Well, I’m still sorry for making you suffer. But we’re here. Look.” 

They were standing in a graveyard. Nico looked at Will, confused.  
“You don’t seem like the type who hangs out in cemeteries, Will.”

“Okay, but the graves are really pretty. And this is kind of embarrassing, but in the spring I like to bring flowers to the graves no one ever visits.” 

Nico smiled. Only someone like Will would be that sweet. Nico stepped closer to Will’s side. “I think that’s cute. Everyone needs someone to remember them, even if they didn’t know them in life.” 

Will blushed. Him and Nico stood for a while looking at the graves until Nico complained that his nose was cold. The two boys started making their way back to the dorm to settle in for the night. While they were walking, Will slipped his hand into Nico’s.  
Nico felt his cheeks heat up but squeezed Will’s hand in return. They were still hand in hand when they got back to the dorm. 

Nico took off his coat and boots and climbed into his bed.

Will switched off the lights and climbed up the ladder to his own bunk. 

“Uh, g’night, Nico,” he said awkwardly. Nico didn’t answer. He was still flustered. 

Will sighed and crawled under the covers, ready for yet another sleepless night.

***

Nico woke with a start. He sat up, being careful not to hit his head on the top bunk.  
The room was dark except for a small sliver of light coming in through the window. Nico rolled out of his bed to check his phone. It was 3:47 AM. 

He had to pee, so he went into the bathroom, but when he turned on the light, he saw Will snoring on the floor, a pill container in his hands. Nico gently took the container from his roommate’s hand and looked at it. Rozerem? 

Nico took the container out of the bathroom, grabbed his phone and googled Rozerem. Turns out they it was sleep medication. Nico was starting to worry. Why had Will fallen asleep in the bathroom with prescription sleep meds in his hand?

Nico decided to wake up his roommate in case there was something wrong.

He went back to the bathroom and knelt on the floor beside Will’s sleeping form.  
He gently shook his shoulder. “Will? Will, wake up.”

Will groaned and sat up groggily. “Nico? Is something wrong?” He looked around confusedly. “Wait, where am I?” 

“You must’ve fallen asleep in the bathroom. Will, uh, I found these…” Nico trailed off, showing Will the bottle of pills. 

Will looked shocked at first, then his expression turned apologetic. “Ah, those are my sleep meds. My doctor prescribed them for my insomnia.”

Nico raised his eyebrows. “Why did I find you passed out on the bathroom floor with them in your hand?”

Will rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, um… That’s kinda hard to explain.”

“Just tell me the truth.”

“Promise you won’t be angry?”

Nico frowned. “Why would I get angry?”

“Just promise you won’t.”

“Alright, fine. I promise.”

Will sighed, looking uncomfortable. “I… I was throwing them out. I decided to do it in the middle of the night so you wouldn’t see.”

“Why were you throwing them out?” Nico had had bad experiences with medication before, so he wasn’t surprised by what Will said next.

“The side effects were just getting too unbearable. I was feeling drowsy in the morning and my memory was deteriorating. The pills were just making me too tired.”

“How often were you experiencing these effects?” asked Nico, genuinely concerned.

“Since when are you a doctor? Two or three times a week, usually.”

Nico sighed. He knew what Will was going through, but he had to be firm with his friend.

“Will, I know you don’t like taking the pills, but it’s important that you sleep. Trust me, I know better than anyone. You can’t function without sleep. The side effects may be a nuisance, but it’s worse to stop taking your meds. Plus, if you stop taking them, there might be other effects, especially if you’ve been taking them for a long time.”

Will looked down at his feet. “I… I’m sorry, Nico. This was a dumb idea, huh?”

Nico smiled at his roommate. “I’ll admit, you’ve had better ones. But you don’t need to apologize. I’m not mad, I was just worried for you.” He blushed a little while saying this. 

Will nodded and put the medication back in the bathroom cupboard. He checked his watch. “Whoa! I didn’t realize it was this late! I went to the bathroom at midnight.”

Nico shoved him lightly. “Better get some sleep while you still can.”

The two of them returned to their beds. Nico flopped face down on his bed without putting the covers on. Will smirked.

“Hey, you never told me why you were awake, oh Lord of darkness.” 

Nico buried his face deeper into his pillow. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, suddenly somber. 

Will climbed down from his bunk and sat down at the end of Nico’s. 

“C’mon. I told you the truth so now you have to tell me.” 

Nico sighed deeply and rolled over onto his back to look Will straight in the eye.  
“I had a nightmare.” 

Will gasped softly. “Oh. Uh, do you want to talk about it?”

But Nico was already fast asleep, snoring quietly into his pillow. Will pulled the covers over his friend and climbed back up to his own bunk. 

In the morning, he was sure he would get the whole story out of Nico, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's anything I should change feel free to tell me!
> 
> The next chapter should be up a little later because I haven't finished writing it yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These dorks have a movie marathon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the last chapter because I'm gonna be starting something long soon and I want to finish up with this.

Will woke early, around five AM. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched.  
After checking his phone, he sighed. It was another very cold day, and he had no doubt that Nico would refuse to go outside. Will had an idea. 

Before Nico woke up, Will had set up a nest of pillows and blankets between the kitchenette and bunk bed. He had braved the cold and bought chips, popcorn, and other snacks from the store near campus and downloaded all of the Lord of the Rings movies on his laptop. 

He knew Nico hadn’t seen them so his plan was flawless. 

Will sat in the desk chair, spinning until Nico woke up, which was at 8:29. 

Nico groggily got up from his bed and almost tripped over a bag of chips and two pillows. 

“Ah! You’re finally awake!” Will stumbled out of the chair and straightened himself out before speaking.

“Since it’s really cold today, and I know you don’t want to go outside, I was thinking we could have a Lord of the Rings marathon. I already have everything set up.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I can see that.”

“So?” Will looked like an excited puppy. 

Nico had to admit it was kind of cute. He sighed. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Will beamed and threw his arms around Nico. He got all the snacks, laid them out on the blankets, then sat down cross legged in front of the laptop. 

Nico sat down beside his roommate. “What’s so good about the movies anyway? Why are you obsessed with them?”

Will turned to him incredulously. “What do you mean? You have to watch the movies at least once in your life, it’s just… it’s just a thing.”

“Whatever. I’m only watching them to make you happy.” 

“Aw, that’s sweet. I guess you do have a heart after all.” 

Nico hit him in the head with a pillow. 

“Hey! What was that for?”

“You thought I didn’t have a heart.”

Will grinned and picked up a pillow. 

Nico backed away. “Don’t you dare…”

The pillow connected with Nico’s face. He picked up another one.  
“Oh, now it’s on.” 

The two of them fought for five minutes before they were utterly exhausted and collapsed on the blankets. 

“I totally won that,” said Will.

“Sure, whatever you say. Now, are we gonna watch the movies or not?”

“Oh yeah! I totally forgot!” Will pulled up the first movie and clicked play. Nico opened up a bag of salt and vinegar chips and started eating them. 

“Ew,” commented Will. “I despise salt and vinegar chips.”

“Why’d you buy this kind of chips if you hate them so much?” asked Nico. 

“Because I know you like them.” Will grabbed the caramel popcorn, watching Nico’s cheeks flush. Nico scratched the back of his head.

“Gross, you like caramel popcorn? Honestly, I’m not even surprised.” 

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” said Nico with mock innocence. “Now shut up, I’m trying to watch the movie.”

Will muttered something under his breath then sat back and relaxed.  
He tried to pay attention to the movie but couldn’t stop glancing at Nico, who looked so peaceful sitting there with his (revolting) chips and a serene smile on his face. Now that Will was thinking about it, he couldn’t remember a time when Nico had looked this happy.  
He sighed contently and rested his knee on Nico’s. Nico flinched at the touch at first but leaned into Will after a moment. 

After the first movie ended, Nico was curled up against Will’s side, fast asleep. 

Will decided to put on the next movie, just for the purpose of making himself feel tired. He put his arm around Nico and made himself comfortable. 

It was already 12:28, lunchtime, but the two of them had collectively eaten four bags of chips and an entire pie, and Will wasn’t hungry. 

Nico didn’t snore, but Will could hear his breathing, and it was strangely comforting to know that he wasn’t alone, that he wasn’t ever alone as long as he had Nico as a roommate, and with that thought, he drifted off. 

***

Will woke up, disoriented. He realized he wasn’t in his bed but instead curled up on the floor amidst blankets, pillows, and empty chip bags. He sat up and stretched, then noticed the curled-up body sleeping beside him. 

Nico was tossing and turning in his sleep, and had a pained expression on his face.

Will was mildly concerned. He was pretty sure Nico was having another nightmare, but didn’t know whether or knot he should wake his friend.

When Nico started shouting, Will panicked. He sat uselessly beside him and tried to think of something to do. 

Will was seconds away from calling someone when Nico sat up suddenly. 

“Will?”

“Ya, I’m here.” 

Nico burst into tears and flung his arms around Will’s neck. Will was shocked but held Nico close to him as he cried. 

After a few minutes, Nico stopped crying.

“Hey, are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?”

Nico sniffed and nodded. 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to worry. Do you want to tell me about it?”

Nico took a deep breath. “Sometimes I have dreams about my sister. She died when I was little, and some nights I have dreams where she comes back and blames me for her death, or that she’s getting tortured and I can't stop it. The specifics vary, but they’re always about her.”

Will gasped softly. “Oh my gods. Nico, I’m so sorry.”  
Will was glad that Nico had opened up to him so he could help. 

Nico groaned. “I’m hungry. What do we have to eat?”

Will got up from the tangle of blankets and laughed. “I don’t think we have any real food in this place.” He knelt on the floor and picked up the garbage from the chips. “We still have some popcorn if you want some.”

“Caramel popcorn? Absolutely not.” 

Will shrugged. “That’s all we have.”

Nico flopped dramatically onto a pile of pillows.“I refuse to go outside or leave this building to get food.”

“Are you really that hungry?” Will asked.

“Yes!” said Nico.

“Then eat the caramel popcorn.”

Nico frowned at him. “I refuse.”

“Well, go starving then.” Will grabbed the popcorn bag. “I’ll just be here, happily munching my popcorn-” 

He was caught off guard as Nico tackled him in an attempt to steal the popcorn. He rolled away, holding the popcorn to his chest. Nico tried to pry it out of his hands, but to no avail.

He flopped back onto the pile of pillows. “Will, just give me the popcorn before I starve to death.”

“Easy there, drama queen. I’ll only give it to you if you ask really nicely.”

Nico sighed. “Oh please Will, won’t you please give me the one thing I need to stay alive at this dire moment?”

Will laughed. “I guess so, if it’s really that important to you.” He tossed the bag to Nico, who caught it and grudgingly put a piece of popcorn in his mouth and swallowed.  
He made a disgusted face. 

Will watched him in amusement. He checked his watch. It was 2 PM. 

Nico quickly finished with the popcorn and threw the bag into the garbage can. “Well, that was awful.”

Will tried not to laugh. Nico grabbed his phone and went to sit on the bottom bunk. He yawned, already ready to go back to bed. The only thing he was hesitant about was the nightmares. He really shouldn’t have told Will, it was just another thing for him to worry about. Nico sighed. He was such a burden.

Will noticed that Nico looked distraught. He went and sat down beside Nico on the bed. 

Nico turned and looked at him. Will took his phone and gently laid it on the desk. He took Nico’s hands in his. “Something’s wrong. You can talk to me.”

Nico looked away from him. “It’s nothing.”

“Nico. Please,” Will said in a softer tone. He wanted Nico to be able to trust him, and he didn’t want them to keep things from each other. 

Nico sighed. “It’s… I don’t want to be a burden. Not to you, not to anyone.”

Will squeezed his hands. “Why would you think that you’re a burden?”

“I’m broken. I have gruesome nightmares, push people away because I’m afraid of hurting them, and try to escape the real world by sleeping because sometimes it hurts too much to be awake.” Nico’s voice shook and tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m too much to deal with and I just bring people down.”

Will scooted closer to Nico. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re all a little bit broken, even me. You need to know that, okay?” He put his hands on Nico’s shoulders.

Nico nodded his head. 

Will spoke again. “And I’m ready to support you no matter what.” He was surprised when Nico flung his arms around his waist and hugged him. 

Will smiled and hugged his friend. 

“Thank you. I mean it,” Nico whispered into his shoulder. 

Delicate snowflakes fell outside and the two boys stayed in each other’s arms, a silent promise hanging between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this!
> 
> If you have anything to say feel free to comment.


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